Hyper 212 EVO vs. Arctic Freezer A30 vs Corsair H100i

[Shawn221]

Hey, I was wondering about cooling for an AMD FX-8350. I first chose the 212 but then went for the A30 as it has better cooling capabilites(or so I've been told) and now I'm considering watercooling. I only want to OC +0.2ghz IF THAT, so I don't need anything drastic. I just want:
Quiet
Cool
Good Performance
So, which is better out of all of them(leaning away from the H100i; it's a last resort kinda deal) and if there is anything better that I would like in a similar price range as the A30 and 212.

 

[babernet_1]

Here's a good site.

http://www.frostytech.com/

I don't know of one better for cooler reviews.

If you want top quality, try an NH-U12S.

 

[Calculatron]

Going off from the information of these two reviews and extrapolating:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/LGA-2011-i7-3960X-Air-Overclocking,3130-17.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/h100i-elc240-seidon-240m-lq320,3380-12.html
(Note that this article has the same processor with a lower clock and voltage!)

The H100i is going to give you the best performance, however, it is going to be the loudest, and noticeably so. It's also going to be the most expensive, obviously.

The A30 Freezer is going to be the most quiet, and still give you good performance. However, according to the first article above, the 212 EVO manages to handle the heat better. Keep in mind, though, that's a I7-3960X clocked at 4.6 ghz powered by 1.4V. I think they say in the article that they measured that at 300W, that's a lot of heat output, and both coolers passed the test. Other articles and reviews online will show that the coolers trade blows.

I, personally, own a A30 Freezer, and I am happy with the product. It does its job, and seriously is quiet. I do think its original price of $50 is a bit high for what you get, though. I was lucky enough to nab it for $30 bucks on sale, and, obviously, I feel it was totally worth it. If you can catch it for that cheap, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Probably the only other cooler, which I have no experience with, is this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835709018

Phanteks has made a name for itself in making good cooling products. Even though this deal is slightly more expensive than the solutions offered by Coolermaster and Arctic Cooling, it comes with two (2) fans and a PWM-splitter. I have no personal experience with this product, but it has good reviews. I think it's worth consideration.

For straight up bang-for-your-buck, it really is hard to beat the 212 EVO.